Water and Stone
by bitterbeetle
Summary: A high school AU in which Luffy grew up among trees and water and rock, and purposely brings together a group of misfits all trying to answer the same question: what am I going to do with my life?
1. Prologue

Brook dropped his book bag onto the table, unable to keep his bemused expression from showing early in the morning. A coworker was already putting some freshly brewed, if very cheap, coffee in a Styrofoam cup in front of him. Slowly blinking eyes fixed on the long man as he hesitated to sit down.

"There a problem?" slurred the chemistry teacher. Someone else grunted a similar question.

Brook opened his mouth to respond, then paused. How was he to bring this up in present company? It seemed inappropriate that he do nothing, but at the same time what real harm could it do? Surely it would not be the first time a teacher and a student…

He sighed. "Say, figuratively speaking, I found a stray kitten and fed it some food. Now it won't leave me alone. Besides giving it to the humane society, what am I expected to do?"

The staff at the table were in no position that early in the morning for such things. Several took long drinks of coffee as if that would immediately clear their heads, while others frowned or made faces in thought. The early rising Law cocked an eyebrow as he closed the textbook he had out in front of him.

"Figuratively speaking?" began the young science teacher, "So you didn't feed a stray cat?"

"Not exactly."

"Which means it's not an animal."

"No, well…"

"So a person, maybe?"

"Ah…"

Law exhaled, which sounded miraculously similar to Brook's sigh.

"You met Luffy."

It wasn't a question. Brook opened his mouth to respond – or at least make the attempt – but the sound of notably imperious footsteps approaching the faculty room made him pause.

The door to the faculty room swung open with the smell of pineapple. "Did someone say Luffy?"

The regal woman in the doorway wore a smile that struggled to remain slight, but it faltered when she was nudged aside by a rather large man. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Miss Boa. I thought for a moment Luffy was here and I panicked."

"Not at all, Jinbei." With thinly veiled annoyance, the woman strode to the counter to refill her thermos with hot water. "Though why you would panic because of Luffy is beyond me."

"I couldn't avoid him all summer," rumbled Jinbei, staring off into the air at something only he could see, or remember. "My kids won't stop asking to see him now. All they want to do is play at the beach with him."

"I wouldn't mind enjoying the beach with him."

"I've no doubt you would take it upon yourself to reapply his sunscreen at least five times."

"He needs to be protected! I would bring lunch along, and maybe dinner too, and enough snacks to last between meals. Plenty of water to keep him hydrated out in the sun, and an extra change of clothes or two, just in case."

Law exhaled again in a manner that was still suspiciously alike to a heavy sigh. "We know, Hancock. All you want to do is carry him around in your pocket."

"Law, please remember to call me Boa."

Brook had felt his frown deepening for some time now. "Pardon my interruption, but you are all personally familiar with Luffy? D Monkey?"

"Familiar?" scoffed Law, "I had him for science last year. His first class of high school. Kid wouldn't leave me alone after that. Still pops up. I don't even know how he figures out where I am…"

The science teacher took on the same far-off expression as Jinbei's.

"Then," said Brook as he looked from teacher to teacher, "It isn't strange for him to declare me, a member of faculty, a friend?"

Jinbei released a deep, rumbling laugh. Dropping his bag into an empty chair, the history teacher clapped a large hand sympathetically on Brook's shoulder.

"There's no point in trying to escape now," he said solemnly, "You're just going to have to bear with it. But you have to tell us, I'm curious – how did it happen?"

The tall student counselor took a deep draught of his coffee before replying simply. "The flood."

* * *

><p>Sanji couldn't see a thing. He felt lethargic and gross, like he needed to drink a lot of water, but not that water outside. The rain was coming down like a waterfall rather than individual drops. It was as if the bus was plowing through a car wash, and more than once Sanji found himself fantasizing about the vehicle sliding around a corner and flipping over. That only served to provide him with a sudden spike of panic when the bus made a particularly sharp left turn. Next time, he'd force Zeff to drive him to school, regardless of kitchen prep.<p>

It had been about twenty minutes since he'd gotten on the bus in the first place, which meant the school would be coming up soon. Though he could barely see, Sanji thought he recognized the blurry glowing M of the McDonalds a block from the school. When the green streetlights passed overhead, he yanked down on the yellow string until the requested stop sign lit up with a ping. As the bus slowed he got to his feet and waited at the back doors, umbrella at the ready. This would be nothing short of an adventure.

The doors opened to a blast of cold, wet air and what felt like chunks of ice stinging his face. Sucking in a breath, Sanji leapt out of the bus simultaneous to swinging his black umbrella open and up. He was pretty sure his feet were soaked as soon as they touched the pavement, and the rain was already finding just where to drip off the umbrella to drench the back of his legs. Clutching his bag close to his chest, the student walked briskly back to the intersection, taking the chance and jaywalking when he didn't see the glowing eyes of oncoming traffic from either direction. The dense overlapping canopy of the trees on the high school campus, forming a sort of dark tunnel towards the courtyard and beyond that, the school, did not provide much cover. The rain was so heavy and so plentiful that some of the branches seemed to be drooping under the pressure. It was still an improvement from the open sky, so Sanji wasn't so quick to grumble about it. Instead he just walked a little faster, because he was certain the morning announcements were about to start, and he really needed a dry pair of socks before he was in any condition to actually learn anything.

Another couple students were on the same path as Sanji. One had an umbrella the same vibrant hue of orange as her hair and rain boots, with a little green cutout of a leaf jutting out of the middle so it looked like an orange. Sanji thought it was kind of cute, actually, but not nearly so much as its owner. He considered all the conversation starters he had for situations like this. It would've been ideal if she had forgotten her umbrella, but there were plenty of other things he could open with.

A gust of wind, amplified by the tunnel created by the trees, tore at the umbrella in Sanji's hand. Without thinking, he tipped it down against the wind until it subsided, though by then his back had gotten splattered with wet. Quickly he readjusted, pushing damp hair back from his forehead. Just as he lowered his hand he saw a red and white striped blur cartwheel past him, with a cry from up ahead. As he looked, the redhead outstretched an arm with some words that Sanji couldn't hear, pulling what had to be the smallest freshman he had ever seen beneath her orange umbrella.

Incredibly, Sanji felt a little jealous.

At the end of the tunnel, Sanji realized they'd stopped walking. He paused as well, allowing his umbrella to overlap just slightly above the redhead's. The puny, soaked creature between them looked up at Sanji.

"Not going to try and make a run for it?" asked Sanji with a grin.

"There's no way," said the redhead, "You might want to block the wind, though."

"We're out of the tunnel."

The girl shrugged as if to say suit yourself, and lowered her umbrella. Sanji thought that was foolish, and the freshman beside her tensed up, but when the rain suddenly started going horizontal instead of vertical, and Sanji's umbrella went whipping back down the way they'd come, he figured it probably would've been smartest just to listen to her.

There went any notion of keeping at least partially dry.

The redhead lifted her umbrella as the gust subsided. Without another word she strode out under the sky, forcing the kid beside her to stick glued to her side. Sanji saw an opportunity then, and his legs were already pulling him out into the torrential downpour that the trees only sort of kept at bay, but the largest umbrella he had ever seen was suddenly blocking his path. Or at least, that was his first impression. A couple seconds later he realized there was a person standing beside him, holding out his definitely broken black umbrella.

"You dropped this," said the long-nosed youth, "It nearly took my head off, and only my superb dodging skills saved my life, but you can have it back if you want."

Sanji took the sad thing in his hands, looking down at it with water dripping off the end of his nose. "Thanks, but it doesn't seem like it's going to be very useful anymore."

"What? Sure it can."

"The ribs are all bent." He shook the umbrella for proof. It rattled pathetically.

"You can just bend them back in place."

"It won't be as good as it was brand new. I'll just buy a new one."

"I can probably fix it. I mean, I can. Good as new. It's the easiest thing in the world to do. But not right here."

"Oh, so you'll do that for me? Great. Lend me your dry spot till we get to the school."

From where they stood, Sanji could see just the barest silhouette of the girl and the runt making it to the shelter of the overhang in front of the school's entrance. It looked as though they weren't the only ones having just arrived, but it seemed like they weren't going inside.

The teenager beside him was saying something about that one time he fought off a kidnapper at the age of ten with a metal umbrella spoke. Sanji made some sound that made it seem like he was paying attention, when he was squinting towards the bright orange umbrella, and that apparently was an invitation for more stories. With a nudge that was maybe a little too hard for a first meeting, Sanji got the other boy walking with him towards the building. Each step made him more miserable, and he felt as though his socks had become sponges. Despite the obvious lake in his shoes, Sanji still made the effort to step over the growing puddles, while the teenager beside him took flying leaps over them and forced Sanji to duck and lunge under the umbrella. As soon as they were beneath the protection of the overhand, Sanji released a sigh and took to assessing the water damage on his backpack as they approached the small group of students hanging outside the entrance.

A tall man with an incredible afro – were teachers even allowed to have long hair? – was speaking to the group. With a long-fingered hand he gestured into the building, and as Sanji and the long-nosed student beside him neared, he realized the teacher, or counselor as he recognized him, was saying that the school was closed.

"Well, shit," said a lanky kid that looked as though he had run to school without an umbrella. Mud was splashed all over his legs and not even a swim in a lake could make a person look that wet.

Beside him was an equally soaked teen that was busily wringing the water out of his shirt. "What're the chances, huh?"

"Did any of you check the website?" asked a tall girl that had to be a senior by the way she held herself.

The two sodden specimens wore two very different expressions of confusion. A massive guy with ridiculous blue hair – even more bizarre than the shade of green from that waterlogged guy – looked equally bemused. Sanji, despite not having checked himself, somehow still managed to eye them with disdain.

The counselor spoke up at the warning flag that was the orange girl's sigh. "Of course, you're not the only ones that have shown up. That's why I'm here, just to make sure the students are aware the third floor has flooded."

"It flooded?" Orange-girl's companion, who was taller now that he wasn't hunched under the thrashing of rain, had his round doe eyes glued to the counselor's face in amazement. "Is there a foot of water? Is it like a pool? Would we have to use boats to go from class to class?"

"Boats in school? That sounds super."

"I would get a ship and sail through the halls –"

"I already have a ship. A pirate ship. I've sailed it across the Atlantic –"

"– if I built a ship –"

"– possibly drown –"

"– call bullshit –"

Sanji listened to them talk over each other, with the long-nosed teen now impressing the not-so-short runt with a regaling tale about sea monsters, and the blue-haired fellow dropping all sorts of random ship construction facts to the tall girl who was looking politely interested, and the two soaked rats were laughing about something that Sanji was pretty certain had something to do with someone using the word _but_ in interesting context.

Orange-girl was watching them all while shaking her head, and the counselor seemed rather perplexed, probably because all the other students had bailed out as soon as they learned school was out. As for Sanji, he knew the bus wasn't coming back for another half hour, maybe longer in the rain, and this company was a lot more interesting than standing under a dilapidated bus shelter that reeked of marijuana.

"Luffy!" crowed the black-haired rat, loud enough that he claimed the attention of everyone present. "That's my name. Who're you guys?"

Something about his expression made Sanji feel as though he was about to find himself in a rather deep hole, partially self-dug and perpetually getting deeper. But such a vague feeling it was that he dismissed it as soon as green-haired rat introduced himself as Zoro, and the long-nose was Usopp, and he didn't want to be the only one nameless.

"I'm Sanji," he said, trying not to let his gaze flicker too obviously between the two ladies.

"Nami," said orange-girl, whose name was as delightful to hear as her face was to look upon. "I'm parked across the road, if anyone needs a ride headed into cottage country."

Luffy flung up an arm, and Zoro made a sound that might've meant he was going in that direction too.

"My name's Chopper," said the runt, and then flushed, "I mean, Tony. But e-everyone calls me Chopper."

"Franky," said the blue-haired guy.

"Robin," smiled the lovely lady.

There was a pause in which everyone automatically looked towards the teacher. Then their expectations fizzled as they realized they were looking expectantly at a man twice their age, who wasn't meant to be their friend, but a figure of authority – but then Luffy was still staring at him with a massive smile as if this middle-aged man was welcome.

The counselor cleared his throat awkwardly. "Please refer to me as Mr. Brook. I'm the guidance counselor, if you ever require support or advice. Now I think it would be best if you all head home. The school isn't going to dry out anytime soon."

Luffy didn't seem to care about the school so much as the people right in front of him. "Great. I'm can't wait to see you guys at school, too."

Something about that felt foreboding.

"Sure," said Nami, "Anyway, I'm not going to wait around here. If you guys need a ride…?"

"Coming!" Clearly without a second thought, Luffy grabbed his fellow soaked rat by the wrist and practically dragged him over to stand beside the redhead.

"I'll be off as well, then," said Robin, smiling politely at them all, "Don't get into any tragic accidents."

"See ya!" said Franky.

"Uh, bye!" chirped Chopper.

And suddenly there was a non-stop jumble of farewells and goodbyes that felt awkward, oddly amusing and completely normal at the same time, like this was something that Sanji did all the time. He felt his mouth quirking into a grin more than once, an expression that was caught by Usopp and Chopper both and the slighter of the two gazed at him as if he was a gentle monster. Then, when at last the counselor, Brook, had managed to shoo them off, Sanji found himself once again under Usopp's giant umbrella, this time with Chopper on his other side as well. Together, with Nami and her tagalongs a half pace ahead of them, they returned to the main intersection through the tree tunnel, Luffy and Usopp warring with their chatter the entire way.

It was at the bus stop, while Chopper had left them to wait at the opposing stop on the other side of the road, that Sanji learned he lived in the same direction as Usopp, and they used the same bus to get to school. When the bus picked them up and ten minutes later Usopp was the first of them to get off, Sanji – most likely without fully realizing – told him he'd see him the next week. It was an innocent farewell, like when most people meant nothing by "see you later". But he had been specific, and set a date, and Sanji realized a minute later when he replayed the entirety of the scene at the school that he meant it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **Updates will be a bit slow after the first chapter because exams are coming and I don't want to hate myself this year for procrastinating.


	2. Post-Flood

Four days after the rainstorm, the leak on the third floor had been fixed and the water that had cascaded down the stairwells had been mopped up. On the Tuesday, the school reopened, all the windows were open to allow a breeze. No matter what they did, the musty smell of slightly damp everything persisted. The smell tickled Usopp's nose. Sanji kept glancing at him with increasing irritability after every sneeze, and there were a lot of those. By the time they parted at Sanji's locker on the second floor, the blond was suggesting Usopp stuff several somethings up his nose that probably should never go up there. Mumbling an apology, Usopp departed to his own locker on the far-off third floor. All the grades got their own floor assigned to them regarding lockers. Freshmen claimed the highest fourth, while seniors enjoyed the shortest trek to the first floor. So when Usopp sniffed and sneezed his way towards his locker, feeling elbows and shoulder shove him towards either wall, he was not expecting to be yanked free from the stream of students to come face to face with Zoro.

"You're not in grade ten," blurted out Usopp.

"Of course not," said Luffy, releasing Usopp's arm and patting him on the back, "I just got him to come up with me."

The green-haired teen wore an expression that seemed the facial muscles' equivalent of a shrug. Neither of them looked like they were about to explain the circumstances, and Luffy was spinning the dial on his lock seemingly at random.

"So," said Usopp slowly, "Did you need something?"

"Nope."

"Then… I'm going to go to class."

"Okay, see you later!"

"Yeah, see you."

Very confused, the sophomore left with a finger digging into his curls to scratch at his head. After he'd gotten his books and took his seat in his first class of the day, Usopp allowed his mind to wander. While his fingers tugged at his itchy nose, his gaze locked onto a tree in the parking lot, and when the chatter of his classmates became background noise, he could finally concentrate on the scene in his head. He'd been watching a rather graphic television show about the zombie apocalypse, and so his thoughts had recently been occupied with his imaginings of what he would do if the world suddenly went to shit. Presently he had decided that he would do best to be on his own – nobody to look after, nobody to blame for attracting attention other than himself.

When the teacher walked through the door right as the bell rang, slamming the attendance folder on the desk and garnering the entirety of the class' attention, Usopp wondered how he managed to forget why he despised mornings. It had only been four days, a long weekend right after the end of the summer, so the reality of his mornings hadn't quite become engrained in his brain yet. Now it was an extremely unpleasant surprise to remember that for the rest of the semester he would continue to have his morning civics class with the long-legged, flood-wearing, bony-ankled, feathery pink abomination that was Mr. Donquixote.

Shit.

People had warned him about the civics and law teacher, nicknamed Doffy by the students. Who had first come up with such a ridiculously fluffy title for the guy anyway? Had they thought it would be a bit of ironic fun? No, it had caused Usopp to giggle in the middle of class just once. For a fraction of a heartbeat. That had been the end of his peace. He had never seen a teacher's face so close before, except for that one time his eighth grade homeroom teacher had leaned in pretty close to help him figure out a math problem and the smell of her perfume had nearly made him break out in a prepubescent sweat, but that was very different. Usopp had been convinced that his life would end then and there, and he'd only heard half the terrifying things that had come spilling out of the flamingo's grinning mouth.

So yeah, mornings weren't cool.

For half an hour, Usopp managed to keep the teacher's intimidating gaze off of him, but his pencil rolling off the desk and clattering on the floor changed things. It technically wasn't his fault that he had gotten bored by the block of text on the wall. Teachers should make their lessons more exciting – not that he'd tell that to Doffy, who crept over to him on stilted legs.

"What's that?" asked the teacher.

Usopp gulped, struggling not to sound impudent. "My pencil, sir."

"Not that." He leaned in, grinning so wide Usopp half anticipated hearing his teeth grind together. "That thing right there."

Looking down at his notebook, Usopp realized he was doomed. "That's uh, a drawing, sir."

"Of?"

"A… flamingo."

"Why is it in your civics notes?"

The student made a weird sound through his nose, which Mr. Donquixote took as impudence while clearly knowing Usopp wasn't brave enough for that sort of attitude.

"I think detention is in order," grinned the teacher, somehow coming across as pissed off in the pulsing vein in his forehead. "After school on… Thursday."

That was it. No vivid description of his doom, no rush to get it over with. Doffy the flamingo intentionally set the date later in the week so Usopp would be able to stew in anxiety about it for several days. What an asshole.

"Yessir," mumbled Usopp.

"What was that?"

"Yessir, I'll remember," he said slightly louder, allowing his misery to show. This seemed to appease the teacher, whose grin relaxed as he returned to the front of the room.

The rest of the class couldn't have gone any slower if time had actually stopped. The moment the bell rang, the only person to get out of the room faster than Usopp was the guy sitting right beside the door. His next class was art, which was supposed to be his safe haven. It was just his luck that his terrible mornings extended until lunchtime. Whoever thought the guy with the permascowl named Akainu, with a temper like a volcano ready to burst, was suitable to teach _art_ was another mystery unsolved.

Practically dragging his feet, Usopp entered the art classroom.

"Usopp! Hey!"

The long-nosed teen turned to leave, convinced immediately he had entered the wrong room, but Akainu was entering behind him. Faced with the too-bright sun of a kid behind him and a teacher that could rival Doffy in intimidation in front, Usopp opted to get a sunburn.

"Hey Luffy," said Usopp as he cautiously sat down at the table in front of him. Immediately Luffy had relocated beside him, looking at him expectantly.

"What're you doing after school?"

"Nothing." A regrettable response.

"Then hang out with me and Zoro."

"Zoro?"

"The green-haired guy."

"I know who he is, I just didn't know you guys were close?"

"Oh yeah, totally. He lives near me so we're going to the beach on the weekend. You come too."

"Uh –"

"Jinbei usually goes there with his kids. He always brings really good food."

"Um –"

"You and Sanji live in the same direction, right? You can come together."

"Wha –"

"Have you seen Chopper? I think he'll be the hardest to convince."

Usopp frowned, raising his voice to avoid being interrupted. "Why are you trying to get all these random people together?"

Luffy blinked at him like he was an idiot, then guffawed loud enough that Akainu practically hissed. "Random people? We're friends!"

"All we know are each other's names."

"Yeah, and?"

The bell rang, interrupting whatever words Usopp was struggling to string together to explain. With the face of someone who had just won an argument, Luffy turned to pay attention, or at least pretend, to Akainu. The art teacher left them with no room to relax. The two school days they had missed were apparently vital in an art class, and thus they would have to work twice as hard and twice as fast to finish the project he had, apparently, intended to give them on Friday. In a class that Usopp usually loved, he found himself laboring to put something half decent on paper. No inspiration came forced from him. He almost considered copying the flamingo doodle he had sacrificed his freedom for. Everything that came from the union between his hand and pencil was awkward, imperfect, and without vision. It was frustrating. By the time the bell for lunch rang, all Usopp had managed to do was set the world record for most erased pencil lines. Beside him Luffy was stacking all his doodles – for they couldn't really be called _drawings_, could they? – and stuffing them haphazardly into his bag. The entire class he had somehow remained silent – or rather, quiet, since he would hum to himself as he drew with the awkward purpose of a toddler. Now that it was over, however, it was like he had a switch he could flick on or off at will.

"Come on, we're meeting Zoro for lunch," said Luffy with a beaming smile.

Usopp buckled the flap of his messenger bag. "I'm going to meet my friends for lunch."

"Okay, but first you need to come with me."

"I was – okay, yeah. Just for a little bit."

The entire walk towards the cafeteria felt like Usopp was being dragged forward by Luffy, despite having full autonomy of his own legs. It was as though the lanky boy was pulling him along by sheer force of will. Just as Usopp, busily scratching at the tip of his itchy nose, was considering the possibility of telekinesis, Luffy crowed Zoro's name and the teen looked up from where he was lounging by the double doors to the cafeteria.

"Hey," he said, "The line to get food is already pretty damn long."

"Doesn't matter," beamed Luffy, "Let's grab a table!"

Usopp found himself being herded to a table that was occupied at one end. He sat down after brushing crumbs off the seat, perched on the edge and waiting for the opportunity to leave. Luffy sat down right on the table top, his feet on the chair, while Zoro lounged with his legs sticking out so passing people had to make way. Luffy had a look on his face like he was hunting prey, dark eyes staring into the throng of people coming and going. It was such an intense expression that Usopp was finding it hard to excuse himself, and he could only sit restlessly with his knee bouncing beneath the tabletop.

Zoro was also looking at Luffy with raised eyebrows, and gave voice to Usopp's thoughts. "What're you looking for?"

"Sanji," said Luffy immediately, "He should pass by here."

"How d'you know that?"

"I've seen him before, of course!"

"Why are you waiting for him?"

"'Cause he needs to eat with us."

"About that," began Usopp, licking dry lips, "My friends are waiting for me, so…"

Luffy turned his gaze on Usopp with a bemused frown. "We're your friends, too."

"Oh, uh… well…"

"Ah! _Sanji!_"

The blond teen looked over automatically at the sound of his name, and the fleeting mixture of surprise, discomfort and confusion on his face was something Usopp could relate to. He looked as though he was on his way somewhere with an actual purpose, but the frantic and expectant beckoning of Luffy was working its telekinetic magic on Sanji now, and sure enough he came walking over.

"Sanji," said Luffy again, "Eat with us."

It came out like an order.

Sanji scratched at his eyebrow. "I'm already eating with somebody." He lifted a large lunchbox, the sort that had a zipped compartment at the bottom and probably shiny insulation within.

"That's fine, you can eat with us first."

The blond clearly thought that was ridiculous, and said so. Luffy laughed like Sanji was the one being foolish instead, and pointed at the lunchbox.

"Whatchu got there?"

"Chicken parmesan, penne alla vodka, pan fried potatoes with garlic and rosemary, and cream of broccoli soup," listed the teen with the air of an experienced waiter, as if on reflex. Only after his lips closed on _soup_ did he seem to realize what he'd done.

Luffy's smile could've melted iron at that point. "Sounds delicious _exceptforthebroccoli_ can I have some?"

"Er – it was really meant for someone else…"

"Oh." The smile slackened, and Usopp found himself glaring at Sanji though he really had no good reason to. "I'm really hungry and I thought you'd have extra."

It sounded ridiculous, but for the person standing in front of the person that spoke it, it probably was completely natural to immediately sit down, which Sanji did. The lunchbox was opened promptly, and its contents goggled at. The list of foods had been interesting on their own, but now paired with the real deal, it was plain impressive. Luffy set to work at once, half fighting Sanji for the majority of the food while he dished it out on plastic wrap and tin foil for Zoro and Usopp as well. The soup remained in its thermos, and ended up being the only thing to survive the lunch hour. Having not expected to receive any food, Usopp was hesitant to dig right in like Zoro and Luffy, but after a good whiff of the food he deemed it worthy of praise. Sanji only watched them with a look of obvious pride on his face as more than one pleased sound escaped the gorging boys.

"This is great!" announced Luffy around a mouthful of chicken and potatoes, "You made it?"

"Of course," said Sanji, his chest practically swelling with his pride, "Nothing was packaged, and it's all fresh."

"You're like a chef!"

"I'd like to think I _am_, even if not officially yet."

Luffy continued to lay on the praise, each compliment being received by Sanji with an attitude like he expected only good reviews. Usopp glanced at Zoro several times over the course of the meal, seeing him grow increasingly more annoyed with the way Sanji spoke. Eventually he interrupted Sanji's description of the pork cutlets he was preparing that night with a derisive snort, earning himself a glower from the blond.

"Something the matter?" asked the teen.

"Not at all," replied Zoro, crumpling the tin foil into a messy ball with one hand.

They stared at each other for a moment longer than necessary, but given that they were both struggling through the hormone-aggrieved adolescence that befell all teenagers, it was probably considerably shorter than it could've been. Usopp, who was forcing himself to bypass the testosterone-fueled competition that Sanji and Zoro were apparently participating in with just their narrowed eyes, was neatly folding the plastic wrap plate over the last of his crumbs when he realized the lunch hour was halfway through and Sanji, who being in eleventh grade had a different lunch, was definitely not supposed to be there.

"Don't you have class?" he asked, cringing when it came out abrasive.

Sanji apparently didn't care how the words came out, since he promptly ignored Zoro and looked at Usopp. "Yeah, I'm skipping it."

"Uh, are you sure that's a good idea?"

"It doesn't matter, I don't want to go." He began to clean up the containers so helpfully licked clean by Luffy. "So I won't."

To Usopp, who would've gladly missed all of civics and possibly art had it not been an anxiety-ridden affair simply to _think_ about the option, it was difficult to wrap his head around such reasoning.

"Won't you get in trouble?"

"Probably."

"So…?"

"I still don't want to go." The blond grinned. "Don't worry about it, there's nothing the teacher can really do."

"Except give you detention."

"Detention isn't a big deal."

When Usopp had woken up to go to school that morning, he hadn't expected to be suddenly surrounded on all sides by such bizarre creatures. His blank expression seemed to convey this, because Sanji laughed and Luffy was not far behind.

"Anyway, I'm going to find that friend I just realized I ditched," said Sanji, followed with a warning glare at Luffy, "And I'm not going to be persuaded to stay."

"See you later!" chirped Luffy as Sanji left, and the blond waved a hand halfheartedly over his shoulder.

Then the boy was rounding on Usopp and Zoro, eyes bright with excitement. "After school we should go to the beach."

"I can't," said Usopp, suddenly deciding there was a dire need for milk and eggs at home. "I need to pick up groceries."

"Huh, well, you can still hang out for a little while, right?" The long-nosed youth took too long to deny it, and Luffy latched on like a leech. "Great! Zoro?"

He shrugged. "I don't see why not."

"Then I'll see you guys after school!"

Zoro grunted and Usopp found himself saying "yeah", which in doing so sealed his fate.

* * *

><p>The text messages came fast and in long paragraphs. Nami couldn't help but grin at the obvious enthusiasm her older sister had for university. Even though she was a little lonelier at home, she was always updated with what had happened that day, and lots seemed to happen at the university. At first she had been jealous, and had begun to wish Nojiko would stop sending her so many messages, but barely several days later Nami had ended up searching post secondary institutions for programs and had taken to watching videos touring the campuses. If she had personally gained anything from her sister going off for her first year, it was a lot more space in the house and a newfound excitement for what came after high school.<p>

Then, at the end of her story about a residence party that had seen the boy's bathroom covered in shaving cream and toilet paper, Nojiko had managed to sneak in a comment that she knew was off limits.

_My school has a great meteorology program, apparently._

There was no suggestion that Nami look it up for herself, but she didn't need it to know what Nojiko was obviously getting at. With a sigh, Nami locked her phone and tossed it onto the open chemistry textbook in front of her, tuning into the conversation her friends were having there in the library.

"– so _weird_. Like, he's always dropping in to talk to Mr. Law. Who _does_ that?"

"Oh my God, I know what you mean. I was talking to Mr. Brook about my late streak and he just _popped in _while I was talking. It was crazy. I gave him this look like _what the hell are you doing_ but he didn't even catch on. What the hell."

"God, he's such a weirdo. I remember – oh my God, Nami. _Nami."_

Nami roused herself from listening to participating mode. "Yeah?"

"I remember Luffy was like, hounding you all day that one time. What did he even want?"

The three other girls occupying the table with Nami leaned in simultaneous, eyes wide and eager like she was about to divulge some juicy gossip for them. It was ridiculous. Nami smiled at them.

"It was nothing, really."

They sat back with matching disappointed sighs. "You're _such_ a liar, Nami," said one while the others hummed and hawed with their split ends inspected an inch from their noses.

"Uh huh," she said distractedly, eyes following the brisk stride of a blond teenager entering the library.

Her friends seemed to launch into a new topic almost immediately, which was fine by Nami. She didn't like it when they latched onto talking about a specific person. It never went anywhere good, and much of the time she would feel uncomfortable by the end of it. She didn't want to take part.

As she reached for her notebook to make an attempt at her chemistry homework, movement at the entrance to the library caught her eye and she looked up. The blond, called Sanji if she remembered correctly (which she almost always did), was trying to calm a restless-looking boy she remembered being named Usopp. Together they scampered around one of the bookshelves, looking extremely suspicious and very obviously hiding. Nami watched as they peeked through the gap between book and shelf, then as they flinched when a brawny athletic type entered. It was one of the drowned rats she had driven home, and she almost burst out laughing then and there remembering how bizarre of a drive it had turned out to be. A week and a half after the fact and she was still finding pennies and nickels in the most unlikely of places in her car, and the smell of tacos was almost as pungent as the orange-scented spray she had used to combat it.

As Nami looked over the edge of her textbook, Zoro spotted Sanji and Usopp almost immediately, rolled his eyes and turned to call over his shoulder. "Luffy, I found 'em both."

"_Finally_," crowed the boy as he practically flew into the library.

Behind the desk, the librarian frowned like she wanted to say something, but the resigned expression that followed Luffy grabbing hold of the hiding pair told it all. With Luffy leading and Zoro taking up the rear behind their prisoners, the group exited the library, and Nami grinned into a paragraph about titrations.

"_God_, he's kind of adorable but _really_ obnoxious," whispered one of the girls.

"I know right? How do his friends deal?"

Nami felt her smile slide off her face like water on glass.

Later in the week, Nami had opted out of spending time in the library and instead filling the gap with conversation with Vivi, a friend on the student council that never made Nami uncomfortable like her other friends did. Unfortunately it still wasn't exactly peaceful.

"He's such a– a slimy _jerk_," exclaimed Vivi where they stood in the hallway, brown cheeks turning mahogany with the effort to keep her voice down. "He's always getting the vote, it's like this isn't a democracy anymore. What's the point of a council? He should just lead! But that would be terrible. He could probably convince half the council to run down the halls in the nude for charity. And he's always so _quick_ with his comebacks. I can't get a word in edgewise and it's like I'm always on the tier _just below _him. Honestly, he's such a dick but he's way too good at public speaking and debates."

She heaved a sigh. Talking about Crocodile always wound her up.

"He is vice-president for a reason," noted Nami.

"Yeah, and he might as well be president _now_," grumbled Vivi, "But that would be disastrous. I wouldn't usually go shooting so blatantly for the spot but if it means stopping Crocodile from ruling over the school, then I'm going to have to put on my big girl panties."

Nami spluttered a laugh, earning herself a sigh and a grin from Vivi.

"I have no doubt in the world," giggled the redhead, "That you would crush him in direct competition."

"I hope so. I've– oh, hello."

Nami turned to find herself looking at a slightly smiling mouth coloured a deep red. She looked up to meet Robin's always level gaze, and felt a momentary paralysis in her limbs before relaxing. The older student had an aura more like a principal than a student.

"Hello Vivi, Nami," said Robin, nodding once to both. "I didn't mean to interrupt, but I have a message to pass along."

A grimace took over Nami's expression before she could stop it. "Don't tell me…"

Robin's smile quirked a little wider. "Yes, well, he's on the hunt for you. He's adamant that you spend time with us."

"I don't think– wait, _us_?" Nami stared at the older student.

"Yes." The corner of her lips twitched. "I've been tricked into accompanying them for a short while after school. Unfortunately I haven't too much time so I won't be going to the beach with them."

"Why?" sighed Nami, "Why is he so stuck on the idea of us all hanging out?"

"He's decided we're friends," replied Robin, "That's just the type of person he is. Also," she looked at Vivi now, "You're invited."

Vivi blinked several times before shaking her head shyly. "That's alright. I have a lot to do anyway."

"Very well. Nami?"

"I'll… deal with it."

Robin's lips parted to show teeth as something like a breathy laugh escaped her. "Of course. Have a nice day, the both of you."

The girl – or rather woman was a better word to use – walked around them with confidence exuding off her like a fresh mist. Nami sighed almost wistfully, causing Vivi to giggle.

"She could definitely take Crocodile head on," said Vivi. With her next inhale, she straightened her back and squared her shoulders. "And so can I. Starting today. Right now. I'll text you later, Nami!"

"Okay," laughed Nami, "Bring 'em down!"

At the end of the day, the ringing of the bell was a relief to everyone in Nami's chemistry class, herself included. She was starting to get the hang of naming compounds given the molecular structures, and the more she did it the more fun it actually was. It was easy, considering how difficult and convoluted chemistry sometimes turned out to be. She packed up her bag, holding the textbook under her arm as opposed to slung across her shoulder, and left the room to join the bidirectional stream of rushing students. The freshmen were still being shoved around with lost expressions. The science halls tended to do that even when there wasn't a packed crowd pressing in on all sides. Something about peeking into a room with older students being instructed by something with goggles and a lab coat was intimidating. That, and the fact that every time they came out of their introductory science class, they had been forced to memorize another dozen squares on the periodic chart for the quiz the following day. Terrifying.

However Nami was a junior now, and she, like so many others, had mastered the art of crowd dodging, and dodge she did. Her friends claimed she was probably the best at it, and she never did deny that. She just fancied herself a cat. If there were gaps, she took advantage with speed, and Nami wasn't below ducking to get around those with elbows sticking out to the side. With such a skill, she made it to her locker easily enough and lacking the bruises the freshmen would be nursing as soon as they got home.

She had assumed she had been fast enough to avoid a certain someone, but she had also assumed that he would go to a locker after class like every other student in the building. She had been sorely mistaken.

"_NAMI!_"

She almost choked on her spit. The dark-haired boy was in front of her in a second, beaming with that smile he had that radiated warmth. Her friends had called him adorable, and they weren't wrong.

"Hang out with us," he said – although demanded was more like it.

"Oh, Luffy, I'd like to," said Nami quickly, "But I have to get home."

He didn't look convinced in the slightest, and Sanji was coming up behind Luffy with a face glowing in admiration.

"Only for awhile!" insisted the boy, and Nami thought he didn't know that _only_ and _awhile_ didn't exactly match in this case.

"He means for a few minutes," provided Sanji, putting a hand on Luffy's shoulder and shoving him slightly.

"Unfortunately I really can't," she persisted, "Maybe another time." She knew she was digging a hole, but the longer she put it off the more likely it would be that Luffy would give up. Or so she hoped.

Sanji was the one to pick up on her words instead. He lit up like a beacon rivaling that of Luffy. "Another time then! It's chilly when you're not around, even when the sun is out, it doesn't warm me like your presence does."

Glancing over his shoulder, Nami could see Zoro scowling at the back of Sanji's head and Usopp fidgeting uncomfortably. She didn't really want to know the sort of things they talked about, and she had no idea how Robin planned on putting up with it.

"Mm," she hummed noncommittally, "Bye then."

She waved in response to Luffy's exuberant arm flailing and walked briskly towards the parking lot. From behind, she could hear the kid organizing a search party for Robin, even though the bell had rung barely five minutes ago. In the safety of her strongly smelling car, Nami sighed. Textbooks and bag were tossed unceremoniously onto the passenger side as she started up the sedan. The laboriously slow exit onto the main road was as boring as ever, but this time Nami found her gaze drawn to the group of mismatched teenagers seated around a stone-potted tree. Robin was just sitting down with that hidden smile of hers, Usopp looking and saying something apologetic that Sanji brushed aside with words that made Zoro roll his eyes and Luffy laugh as he spun around among them like he was tying them together. Nami looked away quickly, pursing her lips to stop the smile that came to them unbidden.

The drive from the school into cottage country was lovely that day, as it usually was. On the return trips, Nami often took the longer routes home. The main road was wide and paved, with two proper lanes and a gravel shoulder, but the side roads that led to the houses were packed dirt and barely enough space for two pickups to squeeze by one another. The trees were tall and their canopies overlapped so emerald and gold from the sun turned the drive into something ethereal. It was beautiful.

This time she drove along the water, following the hairpin road around the small enclosed lake. Some of the cottages along the water were grand with tall windows that stretched two stories and expensive cars, while others were quaint log cabins with beaten dirt paths leading to weather-beaten boathouses. Nami loved them both. They formed a patchwork quilt of homes that were loved by all their owners, whether it was the retired single businessman or the middle-aged couple that worked at the nearby campground. She knew that Luffy especially was in love with the area, with its tall trees and sandy beaches and gently lapping water. All he had talked about as soon as they had reached the forested region was how fun the run had been, how warm the rain was comparatively, and how excited he was to go swimming later on. Zoro hadn't made such comments, but Nami had glanced at her rear view mirror to see him gazing at the sky, as if waiting for it to clear so he could play about outside too. She had learned a lot about their families that day, though mostly it had been Luffy chattering nonstop about his foster brothers and how much fun they had cliff diving and at least a dozen reasons why Zoro and Nami should dive with him next time too – a suggestion that Zoro had agreed to and Nami had declined.

Eventually the road took her towards the very edge of the county, where forest turned into small plots of farmland. The very last acreage was her family's, and surrounded as it was on all sides by a border of evergreens, Nami loved it. The orchards were ready to be harvested for their apples and pears, and although she often got sunburns working among the trees, Nami enjoyed the labour. It gave her something to do without having to think. Just pluck, inspect, basket. She pulled into the dirt driveway, automatically swerving around the deep pothole that was always filled with water, and slid the car beside her mother's pickup.

Nami gathered her things, flattening folded pages and slipping notes back into her binders. It was never a problem leaving their cars parked unlocked, but given that half the time she was in the city, Nami made herself do it if only to enforce the habit. Their house was small for a farmhouse, but Nami thought it cozy, and it never lacked for anything. She walked in, putting all her school things in her room on the main floor, and left to grab food from the kitchen. Bellemere was already there, setting a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice on the table with its floral table cloth.

"How was school?" she asked, putting the used oranges – devoid of all their grated zest – into a bin for compost.

"Alright," replied Nami, sitting down and nursing the drink. She often wished they had an orange orchard instead, but admittedly the apples and pears were just as good. "Vivi's getting competitive with Crocodile."

"So she's upping her game?" Bellemere grinned broadly, joining Nami at the table. "Hopefully she'll crush him."

Nami spluttered. "_Mom_."

"I'm voicing the thoughts of everyone. Have you heard back from Nojiko?"

"Yeah, she wants to Skype us after dinner."

"Which means we'll see her for barely ten minutes before the party starts up." Bellemere sighed. "My baby's being corrupted."

Nami snorted. "Please, Nojiko went to more parties during one semester of high school than I have in three years."

"That's because Nojiko actually _liked_ her friends," said Bellemere with a raised eyebrow.

With a sigh, the girl chugged her drink with purpose. She finished with a satisfied exhale and stood to put her glass in the sink. "My friends are fine."

"You don't like spending time with them outside of school."

"It's fine, really." Nami turned to lean against the counter. "I just grew up faster than them. They'll catch up."

"The only one you admit to liking is Vivi," pointed out her mother, "And she's always doing work either for school or the council."

"And?"

Heaving a dramatic sigh, Bellemere threw up her hands. "Nevermind. Do what you will, sweet daughter. Just know how lucky you are to have a mother that wishes you would go out to more parties."

"Ugh."

"Anyway, did Nojiko tell you about that program at her school for meteorology? Apparently it's really good."

Nami stiffened. Bellemere didn't notice as she took out her phone and started scrolling through a list.

"I looked it up and their faculty is well known. There's another school nearby – well, near enough that you could come back on the weekends but you'd have to stay in residence like Nojiko is. The campus seems gorgeous too, even if they only show it during the autumn. I know you still have a year and a half to decide, but have you put some thought into what school – ? Nami?"

The redhead was already heading to the back door, fingers clenched around the knob. "I haven't thought about it," she said shortly.

Bellemere was just opening her mouth to say something, but Nami was out the door. She strode briskly into the rows of trees, flexing her fingers at her sides. They had occasionally asked before, but now that her sister was in postsecondary, all anyone ever wanted to ask Nami about was her future. They expected her to want to have a job associated with weather, just because she was a natural at predicting it. When it was something as straightforward as a dark cloud rolling over the sun, like it was now, Nami knew how long it would take and how much rain they could expect. But that was just a natural skill. She didn't want to write up forecasts and measure humidity and jot down the direction of wind.

The first drops of rain were coming down when Nami finally stopped walking and sat beneath a tree with thick foliage. She had brought it up once – just once – that what she wanted to do with her life had nothing to do with weather, but rather the technicalities of the land, the topography, the rock and rivers; roads boring through mountains and the ever changing cityscape; the change and the unchanged. Nami wanted to be a cartographer, she wanted to draw maps, and the one time she had brought it up had been treated like a joke.

The rain was coming down hard enough that it reached through the leaves and soaked the girl below. She predicted it would last another ten minutes, a couple centimeters of rain coming down in sheets. That was fine. It was all fine. She had time left to convince either herself or everyone else: her mother and sister and teachers that cartography suited her just fine, or herself that others could decide what was best for her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I just realized I posted that song on the wrong chapter hahhaHAHA. The entirety of the drive into cottage country was written while playing ( watch?v=fEyVsqxWSgQ ) on repeat. If you want the atmosphere I had going for it then listen to that forsuuure.


	3. October begins

"I think about failing a lot. I'm always studying because I'm afraid even though whenever I finish a test I know I haven't failed. But then I go home and keep studying. It's like I can't find an end to it. There's always something to be read over, or a question to be answered, or something to cross-reference. I'm… I'm always thinking, what if the book is wrong? What if the teacher's wrong? What then? I'm learning the wrong stuff and when I go to med school they'll ask me questions and I'll answer them wrong thinking I'm right and they'll kick me out because I didn't earn these grades _at all_."

Brook tapped a long finger against one of the miniature instruments on his desk. The sound called Chopper's attention back to the present, and his lips were sucked in as he breathed hard through his nose. Brook had seen the same face on many students before, but never on a senior young enough to be a freshman.

"Are you blaming yourself for the possibility of a failure in the future?" asked the counselor.

Chopper shook his head, then nodded, then shook it again and shrugged helplessly. "I think I am, but that sounds ridiculous."

"It's okay to worry, but when it starts to affect you like this you have to find where to cut it off."

"I'm _trying_."

"Do you have a support system? Family and friends? Have you told them what you have told me?"

A muscle jumped in the teen's jaw and Brook tapped another instrument. The muscle relaxed.

"I haven't," said Chopper, "But it's not something they need to worry about."

"If you behave oddly around your friends, would they not notice and worry about you then?"

"I –" He paused, eyes overly bright and gazing at the edge of the desk. "I don't… have any friends."

Brook blinked. "You are part of the biology club, are you not?"

"Yes but– but those aren't my friends. They're just… people I see. Acquaintances. I don't really know them and they don't know me." He took a deep breath, and the counselor allowed him the pause before the teen continued. "I guess… I think I'm afraid. Of being alone. When I go to university."

Brook shook his head. "There are plenty of opportunities to meet friends. Postsecondary institutions are a hive of people from all over, gathering for the first time and meeting new people. They're all alone at first."

"That would be well and good," said Chopper with a frown, "Except I have no friends here. How do you expect me to make new ones at a different place?"

"Friends aren't really made," pointed out the thin man, "They just happen. Perhaps you have friends but you haven't _noticed_ yet."

"No, I don't think so." The teenager's gaze was hard now as he internalized his negativity. Restless fingers worried at his cuticles. "I don't think anybody likes me. I'm too young. The other seniors think I'm some– some pretentious brat. A baby way in over my head. I have no chance with them, and I have no chance with the kids my age because who likes a know-it-all? Maybe– maybe if I stopped being smart– But that's arrogance, too. Nobody likes the arrogant smart kid who skipped three grades."

His lower lip trembled and Brook quickly intervened. "I don't think anyone but yourself truly notices these things. You are your own closest ally. If you turn on yourself, then you have no back-up."

Chopper swallowed hard. The skin around his thumbnail was red and raw, the nails on all his fingers bitten to the quick. It was a saddening sight for someone with so much ahead of them – a future they wanted and looked forward to, if not for his perceived lack of friends.

"Chopper," said Brook lightly, bringing the teen's gaze back to him, "You're acquainted with Luffy, correct?"

The boy nodded slowly.

"Then perhaps if you're looking for a friend, Luffy is recruiting."

* * *

><p>The two boys were silent except for the clack of metal utensils on plastic. October was just starting and already Sanji was falling behind in math. The first quiz he had gotten back had a nice red 54 on the top, and the second quiz he had forgotten about and hadn't even shown up for it. The first real test of the semester was at the end of the week, and he didn't know half the new content. The real problem was that he just couldn't bring himself to actually care. It wasn't like the junk they were learning now would help him in the future. What was the point of it?<p>

Beside him, Gin finished the schnitzel and potatoes and set the empty container down between them where they sat with their backs against the grade eleven lockers. "Sanji. I have a couple questions."

"Yeah?"

"First – should you be skipping class?"

"No, but I am anyway."

Gin rolled his eyes. "It's not that I'm not grateful you're feeding me, but ditching class to do it isn't really necessary."

"Yet here I am."

"You're gonna flunk at this rate."

"Nah, I can cram." He gathered up the empty containers and put them away into his bag. The amount of food he'd been bringing to school had nearly tripled since the start of the semester, so he'd been forced to upgrade to an actual miniature cooler.

"Math isn't exactly crammable," retorted Gin, "I know because I tried last year too. Look where it got me."

"Switching from academic to applied math isn't the end of the world. It still gets you where you want."

"You don't have that leisure though."

Sanji raised his eyebrows at his friend. "Sure I do. If I fail I can just take a make-up class in college."

His friend sighed with exasperation, but wisely chose not to pursue. "Fine. Whatever. My second question – why are you hanging out with that kid?"

"I assume you mean Luffy." Sanji shrugged. "I just am."

"Then what about that Usopp kid? How'd that happen?"

"It just… did?"

There was really no other way to explain it. He worked with the same three people in his hospitality class, and two of them sat with him in their nutrition class before that, but Sanji wasn't anything beyond a hello-in-the-halls relationship with them. Meanwhile, he'd met Usopp in the pouring rain and instead of maintaining a greet-by-eye-contact level of acknowledgement, they had sat with each other on the bus every day since. There wasn't some big lead up to it, it'd just happened.

Gin raised an eyebrow, his doubt pretty obvious, but there was a mossy-headed jock headed their way with a fistful of protein bars and Sanji threw up a hand to get his attention. "Hold up, does Luffy like halibut?"

Zoro paused, thought about it for a second then shrugged. "He pretty much eats anything so long as it was alive at some point, right?"

"Huh, that's true."

The green-haired teen flapped a hand and left them. Sanji was already thinking up new sauces to try. He couldn't rely on Luffy or Zoro to give him a proper review. Luffy declared everything the best and Zoro didn't like admitting he enjoyed Sanji's cooking despite going so far as to lick his utensils clean. Usopp was a little more reliable, but Sanji would have liked it if Robin or Nami gave him feedback. Both were brutally honest but never to a fault, and the added bonus of them eating his food was too good.

"…Sanji."

"Huh? Oh. Yeah?"

Gin shook his head, giving him an odd look. "It's weird that you're cooking with someone in mind."

"What?" Sanji snorted, a little bit taken aback. "I do that for you, don't I?"

"Not really." Gin grinned. "You just give me food and it's _good_ but you've never asked what I _like_."

"Ah. My bad."

"I don't actually care. But if you're interested, your penne alla vodka is my favourite."

The ten and twelve lunch came to an end shortly after, and Sanji's actual lunch hour was slow and boring to the point where he nearly went to catch the bus then and there. But there was still English to go to, and no matter how unenthusiastic he was about it, there was a test coming up for that one too. So the teen forced himself to sit through the first half hour before thrusting up a hand and relieving himself to go to the washroom. At least, that was his excuse. Instead he took a detour to his locker, slid a couple cigarettes and his lighter into a pocket and quickly left the building before a teacher could catch him. There was luckily no one about outside, so he had the smokers' pit to himself. The pit itself was just a short staircase of three steps that used to lead to a bus shelter, but the thing had become so decrepit and ugly and smelly that it was just taken down entirely.

Sanji sat himself down on the steps, lighting up and inhaling so much smoke it came out in wisps through his nose. He turned his head against the breeze, allowing it to pull the smoke and its scent away from him. He didn't want to go back to class with such an obvious smell clinging to him, and the less smoke that permeated his clothes, the more likely his body spray could mask the rest.

As he sat there regarding the little stick, the teen considered the costs of cigarettes. He didn't generally have a lot of cash to drop on them, and there were only so many he could nab off the waiters at the restaurant. He sighed and wasted his next breath on sucking in the vapors. Even if he did stop buying them, it wouldn't be enough to pay for tuition.

"Hello."

Sanji looked up quickly, the cigarette on the ground and under his heel before he even realized it was Robin and not a teacher speaking to him. She smiled and he flushed, then sighed as he looked down at the mashed ruin of his cigarette.

"Hi Robin," he said, turning a smile on just for her.

"What's up?" she asked lightly, gaze flicking to his shoe.

"Smokes are expensive."

One of her eyebrows arched elegantly. "Aren't you a little young to be worrying about pocket money?"

He laughed bitterly. "Except soon we'll be thousands of dollars in debt."

Sanji had expected her to say something clever in that biting way of hers, but instead he watched as her gaze dulled and took on a more wistful expression.

"I'd sell my kidney on the black market," murmured Robin instead, "If only for the opportunity."

The blond stared at her, slackjawed by her straight face. Her smile returned, and for a moment Sanji thought she had been joking. It was still a little strange. Certainly Robin was prone to making such dark comments, but none of them were completely false. It was her words that were abnormal, not the meaning they conveyed. Sanji was about to ask further, but the look she settled on him was obvious and he instead changed his question.

"Why're you outside?"

"I'm leaving early for a doctor's appointment," she replied, looking towards the road, "And it appears as though my ride is here."

Sanji stood and turned towards the road as Robin passed him to stand below the bus stop. When the bus came to a halt in front of her, the doors sliding open, she stepped on and glanced over her shoulder at Sanji.

"Perhaps you should hurry and return to class."

Robin smiled, and Sanji returned it, the expression retained on his face as the vehicle left the curb and carried her off down the road. When the bus rounded the corner and was out of sight, Sanji lifted a hand to massage his neck on his way back to the building. He had no doubt in his mind that the English teacher was going to give him hell for disappearing for so long.

* * *

><p>Usopp marched briskly through the halls of the senior section, trying to act like he was supposed to be there for something or other. None of the students milling about actually cared – or noticed – but Usopp was hyperaware of even the briefest of unconcerned glances. He couldn't bear to pause more than a second to peek into classrooms for fear of a teacher spotting him, dragging him aside, interrogating him and his intentions…<p>

He wasn't entirely sure why he went along with Luffy's whims, but he had been so set on it that Usopp had felt himself being pulled into his flow. Again. The power that kid had over everyone _had_ to be supernatural. Regardless, it was Usopp's duty now to find Chopper and once and for all bring the freshman under their care. It felt like they were adopting a child that only ever wanted to play hide and seek. He almost would rather have to hunt down Franky instead, but he was always surrounded by other extremely buff teens that probably took steroids just so they could lift cars or something. That, and Doflamingo's office was near the shop class and he had no doubt Luffy could easily attract the teacher's attention, and the last thing Usopp wanted was Doflamingo's eyes on him _again_.

When he came to the conclusion the first floor wasn't yielding any results, he went up to the second. To the extent of his knowledge, Usopp was pretty certain that the civics teacher didn't come near the library too often, and since that was where he suspected he could find Chopper, it was a double bonus. Upon entering, he couldn't spot any mops of dense hair belonging to any young geniuses, so he ventured up and down the shelves. He was about to turn into the encyclopedia section when he heard the name Luffy being said in conversation. It would be slightly rude to say Usopp was an eavesdropper, but as it turned out he was a repeat offender and there was no way he couldn't not listen when his boss – or friend, who really knew – was being spoken about. Thus why Usopp found himself peering between book and shelf at the group of girls sitting at a table. Three of them he knew only as girls-who-go-to-the-same-school, but the fourth was Nami, sharp and bright in all meanings of the word.

"So annoying."

"He can't leave anyone alone."

"He dropped in on Mr. Jinbei this morning. Does he not have class? Is he skipping? He must be skipping."

"He's totally going to flunk out."

"No, isn't his grandfather like the board director or something?"

"Luffy's? No way. Isn't his grandpa just really close with the principal?"

"Either way he's got an in."

"What the hell, that's so unfair."

Usopp could already feel the indignity building up in his belly. What did they know about Luffy? Nothing. They had no right to make assumptions – especially ones that bathed Luffy in a negative light. He didn't deserve that. Sure he was a little wound up _all the time_ but he wasn't a _bad_ person. He was just _Luffy_.

"Annoying. Like I'm serious, I'm pretty sure he's failing but nobody wants to kick him out of school because he's got _connections_. You know he's even hanging out with Robin now? Robin Nico. Of all people."

"Aren't her parents in jail or something?"

"Probably. Have you seen her face? It doesn't change. She does _not_ act like a normal person."

"Maybe he's starting up a gang."

The girls burst into giggles. The sound grated on Usopp's ears. His fingers were pressing into the bookshelf until his cuticles turned white, and his breath was quick and cold against dry teeth. He had to set them straight. He had to tell them they were wrong. He had to stand up for his friends.

"Oh, shut _up_. What do you guys know about him anyway?"

Usopp froze, the wood creaking under his grip and his body halfway around the shelf. From what he could see, the other girls had turned to stone as well, their incredulous gazes locked on Nami, whose fiery one matched the biting edge of her voice.

"Nothing," she continued, flipping her textbook shut with one hand. "You've never spoken to him. You only see him occasionally and base your judgement off the few seconds you get of him. Yes, he's the epitome of an extrovert, with a lot of overflowing energy but you're making too many assumptions. You have no idea whether he studies or not, whether he does well or not. You don't know what his family life is like. You don't know why he's friends with certain people – you don't even know _who_ they all are. You know _nothing_, and here you are acting like you know everything."

There was a pause in which Nami inhaled an evidently calming breath. One of her friends, however, took on a scowl and shoved her unopened book away from her in a show of aggression.

"What, so you want to be friends with that sort of kid?"

Nami rose from her seat slowly and deliberately, every inch of her taut like steel wire. Even Usopp, as distanced as he was, felt himself quailing simply witnessing the gaze she laid on the other girls.

"I already am."

Her declaration brokered no argument. In fact, none of the girls spoke a word as Nami slid all her books into her bag. As she slung it over her shoulder, her eyes lifted and met Usopp's, sufficiently turning his blood to ice.

"Hi Usopp, Chopper," she said with something akin to warmth in her voice.

He flinched, embarrassed to be found out, immediately turning to flee and finding his way blocked by a wide-eyed Chopper. Quickly he planted a hand on the younger boy's shoulder and steered him hurriedly towards the exit. Just before passing the scanner, Usopp hesitated and looked over his shoulder quickly.

"Luffy was pretty set on climbing one of the trees after school."

He didn't wait for a response. He wasn't even sure if that counted as invitation, but he didn't doubt Nami would find them if she wanted to. With Chopper in tow, Usopp fled. He didn't relinquish his grip on the younger boy's sleeve until they reached the the first floor, where Chopper finally dug his heels into the ground and forced them to a stop.

"Um, what's going on?"

Usopp folded his arms across his chest. "What's going on is that you're being adopted!"

He knew his word choice was bizarre at best, but there wasn't really any other way to put it. What Luffy had going on was definitely evolving from friendship to family at an alarming rate, and while Usopp knew he should be slightly bothered by it, he couldn't bring himself to make an attempt at breaking it off. He knew he would regret it if he did. But now Chopper was looking at him with an odd expression. His eyes were … watering? And it was hard to tell under his mop of unruly hair, but he looked like he was frowning too.

"If – If you don't want to come that's fine," said Usopp quickly, waving his hands apologetically. "You really don't have to. I don't want to force you to do anything. Luffy's stubborn but he would understand."

Chopper blinked at him as if he was speaking in German, all wide-eyed and alarmed like Usopp was angry (which he was not, and quickly tried to soften his expression). Then the round-faced youth smiled wide, if not a little shyly, and nodded.

"I don't mind."

"Oh! Oh. Well." Usopp beamed. "Sorry I kidnapped you out of the library. I was really just supposed to… pass on the message. But um, after school we're going to meet up by the entrance."

"Okay, I'll see you there."

Then the bell was ringing, and Usopp was bobbing his head and waving as he walked into the door without pushing it.

After a period of English and one of science, the final bell rang with a collective sigh of relief from the students. Ahead of them was a glorious weekend, warm and sunny and possibly the last of its kind before all the leaves fell off the trees. Usopp collected his things from the third floor lockers, going down a floor to meet Sanji in the stairwell like he usually did. The junior looked wrung out, and only a lot of annoying prodding from Usopp made him open his mouth.

"When we went to find Franky, he wasn't in the shop like we thought he'd be. Turns out he's taking grade eleven English during the ten-twelve lunch and has a nine-eleven lunch instead." He heaved a sigh. "Not a problem except my math teacher caught me."

Usopp hissed in sympathy. "The class you're always skipping to eat lunch with us?"

"Don't make it sound like I'm skipping because of you guys," he grumbled, "But yeah. Luffy and the mossball vanished into thin air like some Houdini sideshow while I got chewed out."

"Maybe you should go to class."

"Genius, Usopp."

"I'm just saying."

They squeezed through the side doors nearest the smokers pit and bus stop, fighting to get out of the flow of students headed there.

Usopp ducked between another guy bullying a pink-haired kid with glasses. "Did he threaten to fail you?"

"What? No. I'm doing that well enough on my own."

"_What?_"

Sanji grinned at him. "It's not like I need math, right? Hey, look, there's Chopper."

The blond shoved into Usopp's shoulder, effectively steering him towards the front entrance where the young boy hovered nervously. As soon as he saw them approach, it was like he had just survived a near death experience by the way his knees almost buckled in relief.

"Hey kid," greeted Sanji, keeping him steady with a hand at his elbow.

"Hi guys," breathed Chopper as Usopp grinned at him.

Luffy was already waiting, foot tapping – or rather slapping – impatiently against the laid-brick ground. "Hurry up!"

"Hurry up why? We're here aren't we?" Sanji clapped a hand on Chopper's shoulder and his other on Usopp's. "So you gonna climb that tree?"

"What? Pfft, no, I've got a better idea." Luffy flung out an arm to indicate the sky. "It won't be this warm forever, right? Soon I won't be allowed to swim in the lake anymore, so I want to fit as much splash time as I can before that happens."

"You want to go swimming?"

"Yes. Let's go back to my place! Zoro's coming, anyway."

Zoro nodded, having this look on his face like going back to Luffy's was the norm anyway. Usopp didn't doubt that it was.

Sanji, however, was scratching the back of his neck uncertainly. "I don't think I can do that."

Usopp immediately found the pleasant thought of going for a swim souring fast. Despite knowing it wouldn't be that bad, that Luffy and Zoro were good people and no doubt he would have fun, he couldn't stomach the thought of the awkward in-between.

"Why not?" demanded Luffy.

"There's a math test coming up," said Sanji. For a moment Usopp thought the blond looked _nervous_, but that couldn't be right because Sanji _never_ looked nervous about anything. "I really should study for it."

Zoro snorted and Sanji scowled at him.

"Like hell you're going to go home and study for a math test on a Friday night, curly-brows," baited Zoro, "Do that shit on Saturday or something."

"I-I-I don't think I can do it," mumbled Chopper from beside Usopp, but nobody else seemed to hear them.

"People like you might not feel the need to study," Sanji was sniping, "but I want to get a decent grade."

Usopp wanted to point out how incredibly ironic that was given what Sanji had been saying earlier with an air of easiness. Apparently the blond didn't care about continuity where Zoro was involved.

"Oh, sorry, grades are what the girls are looking at these days, aren't they?"

"You think I want good grades to impress ladies? How shallow do you think I am?"

"Uh, you've got less depth than a puddle."

"What the hell are you smoking?"

"None of the shit you are."

"I!" interrupted Chopper in a shaky voice, "I don't think I can come."

Luffy, who had been making a bizarrely fond face watching Zoro and Sanji bicker, instantly frowned at Chopper. "_Why_?"

"Um, I." The youth looked around at them, his thumbnail digging at the cuticle of his pinky. "I'm just… not… comfortable."

Usopp admired him for putting it into words, while he himself could only stand there waiting for someone to ask him what he wanted to do. Sanji and Zoro both looked at Chopper with the same slightly guilty expressions, like their arguing had made Chopper back out.

Sanji sighed. "Okay hold on. Yeah one day isn't going to really make a difference. I'll go."

"Yeah, I'm going too," Usopp found himself saying, then mentally kicking himself for his cowardice. "Just for a few hours, how 'bout it Chopper?"

The youth pursed his lips then nodded. "Okay, just for a bit."

"Fantastic!" cried Luffy, flinging his arms into the air and nearly smacking Nami in the face. "Woah, hello."

Slowly and deliberately, the redhead lowered Luffy's arm for him and smiled. "What're you guys up to?"

Sanji was all floating flowers and sparkles at that point. "Hello Nami! We were just discussing plans to hang out – If you wanted to join us we could go to the mall, or a coffee shop, or a movie theater –"

"Bah, that sounds boring," sniffed Luffy, "We're going to my cottage to swim before the water ices over. Wanna come?"

Sanji looked about ready to combust, but Nami was nodding. "Yeah, I can drive us. The cottage, right?"

"Yeah, you remember?"

"Yep, no problem."

"But your car is a sedan," pointed out Zoro with a cocked eyebrow.

"Your point?"

"It's… small?"

She shrugged. "You'll be able to squeeze in."

She beckoned at them to follow her as she took the lead into the parking lot. On her way by him, Nami gave Usopp a fleeting smile that made him feel like the sky was bearing down on him. When she stopped at the driver's door of her vehicle, only then did Usopp realize that they had six people with them, and only five available seats. A glance around at the others showed Sanji and Zoro with skeptical expressions, Luffy looking unconcerned and Chopper with a look of slowly dawning realization that if it came to it, he would probably end up perched on someone's lap being the smallest one there. Without thinking about it, Usopp clapped a hand on his shoulder and tried to give him an encouraging look.

"What are you waiting for? Get in." Nami, the beast, was smiling with false innocence.

Zoro was the first to dive for the front seat, practically elbowing Sanji in the throat to get to it. Usopp himself was dragging Chopper into the back by the collar. If they could at least claim seats –

Nami was laughing much too hard, and Zoro was cursing colourfully, and when Usopp leaned towards the front from his spot in the middle seat, he saw Luffy cramming himself between Zoro's knees and the dashboard.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Sanji, peering over Zoro's shoulder to get a look at the spectacle.

"I'm getting comfortable," explained Luffy nonchalantly, folding himself in half to fit while Zoro was forced to stick his knees at uncomfortable angles.

"I don't think you can fit," began Usopp, but by then the gangly youth had successfully packaged himself up. "I stand corrected."

Nami got in the car, flushed and occasionally making a weird sound at the back of her throat. "Seatbelts on? Good, I don't want a repeat of last time."

"What happened last time?" asked Chopper slowly.

She opened her mouth to respond, but Luffy piped up first. "We hit a bump too fast and I nearly went through the windshield!"

Chopper stared from behind the driver's seat. "That's…"

"Not something to be proud of," finished Usopp with a sigh.

"No, not at all," agreed Chopper, shaking his head in some sort of awe.

Luffy was laughing, Zoro grinning out the window, and Nami released an amused sigh before starting up the car and pulling it out of the lot. They swung around to the drop-off area, idling behind a line of cars as they waited for a school bus to get moving.

"Ah!" Nami suddenly mashed the button to lower the window on Zoro's side. Leaning over, resting an arm on Luffy's head, she smiled out the window. "Robin!"

All three boys in the backseat leaning around to get a look at the girl who peered in at them from several meters away. She raised a hand to her mouth, but Usopp was pretty sure he heard a giggle.

"Hello, everyone," she said, "Going on an adventure?"

Luffy tried to turn his head, but Nami put her weight down. "Yeah, we have room for another if you want to come along."

Robin blinked, glanced briefly towards the bus stop, then nodded. "Certainly."

In the backseat of the car, a long-nosed youth turned towards the smallest of the group with a solemn expression. "You're going to have to sit on my lap."


End file.
